Quid Pro Quo
by X5R-731
Summary: Max ponders new feelings arisen in her since meeting Eyes Only. Sort of a retelling of Flushed


**author's note: No Copyright Infringement Intended (Please don't sue me). This story takes place between "Heat" and "Flushed"**

**QUID PRO QUO**

"_Of course not. We don't have that kind of relationship_."

And that was true. There entire association was based on a mutual need that bordered on a casual friendship. He needed her skills to help save civilization as he knew it, and in return he would dig up any and all information on her brothers and sisters. So far it had been extremely beneficial on both sides. Several first rate dirt bags were no longer a bane on society and Logan had supplied her with more information on Zack in three months, than Vogelsang had in two years. He even found Hannah! (The most Vogelsang found was her car.) All in all this was proving to be a very profitable partnership, so why complicate things with unnecessary emotions.

But why did his words bother her so much? Why did his casual dismissal of them having nothing more than a business friendship hurt the way it did? Max liked to think it was just some residual hormones from her biannual mating cycle settling down, but she was beginning to think it was much worse than that.

All these thoughts were still bouncing around her head when she pulled up to her apartment complex. Taking the service elevator to her floor, she silently walked her motorcycle to the apartment she shared with Kendra and parked it in the center of what was supposed to be the living room.

Without warning, Max suddenly began to shake. The tremors started in her hands, quickly shot up her arms and down her back. She stumbled to the bathroom before her legs could give out on her, tore open the medicine cabinet and grabbed her tryptophan. Ripping of the cap she saw to her horror she only had two pills left. She gulped down the bottles remaining contents then leaned against the bathroom wall and sank to the floor, hugging her knees, waiting for the tremors to stop.

The seizures alone weren't too bad, but it was the flashes of memory that seemed hardwired into her psyche that were a nightmare: Jack being taken away; Eva being shot; doctors snapping her bones to see how long it took them to heal; and all the while Colonel Lydecker looking on with those small, cold, dark eyes.

Other, more recent images began to assail her as well: hiding under the stairs at the Barrett's house; watching helplessly as Lucy's father took her into the other room; Logan getting shot on the television; Logan lying unconscious in a hospital bed; Logan in a wheelchair.

It was all her fault, all of this. She could have done _something_. She was powerless at Manticore, but here, on the outside she had a choice. Mrs. Barrett had taken her in and treated her like she was her own daughter. She could have stopped her abusive husband from hurting Lucy, but Manticore was still too fresh in her system. Logan had asked for her help and she'd refused. Now he was going to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because of her. An image of Logan in his wheelchair staring at his computer screen was the last thing she envisioned before she passed out.

It felt like she had just shut her eyes when she awoke with a start a couple of hours later. She was grateful Kendra was still asleep because she had no idea how she would have explained lying passed out on the bathroom floor with an empty bottle of pills clutched in her hand. But now she had a more serious problem to deal with – she needed more tryptophan. Getting it wasn't a problem – paying for it was another matter.

Going to the kitchen Max opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a small blue tin box. Inside was money collected from all the people in the building to pay off Lt. Walter Eastep so they could stay – and more than enough to restock her supply of tryptophan. Max hesitated. She preferred to steal from people who could afford it, like the crooks and idle well-to-do who plagued this shit hole of a city. But this was an emergency. Besides, she rationalized, Walter wasn't due for another three days. More than enough time to replace the money and no one would know.

The first part went off smoothly. Going to the market and picking up her pills from her usual supplier. Unfortunately, Walter showed up early demanding his payola. Between reassuring Walter and deflecting Kendra's questions, Max set to work on raising this month's rent.

First she tried Original Cindy who unfortunately couldn't help. So, exhausting her legal options, she turned to more larcenous ventures.

Max 'acquired' the ride of a couple of gangsters while they were shaking down some local businesses. This time she didn't feel an ounce of guilt. She sold it to the nearest chop shop for just enough to keep Walter off their backs. As luck would have it, she wouldn't get the money until tomorrow. It was cutting it close, but it would have to do.

When she got home she discovered her pills were gone. She searched frantically throughout the apartment desperately trying to find them until she finally heard Original Cindy and Kendra tell her they flushed them down the toilet. These idiots thought she was on drugs. Not having time to explain to these morons that they'd probably just killed her, Max raced back to her supplier for more only to discover she was out. Max forced her to tell her that she got her drugs from Metro Medical Hospital. Time for some more larcenous activity.

Max arrived at the hospital around midnight with her strategy already planned. Just as she was about jump the fence, her legs went out from under her and she fell down on her face. Trying to push herself up, she looked over her shoulder to see her legs twitching uncontrollably.

"No," she pleaded. "No, no, no. Not now, not now!"

Max tried to climb to her feet only to drop back down to her knees. She sobbed with frustration. So much for being a revved up girl, right now she couldn't overpower a three year old let alone a hospital orderly. There was only one place left to turn. She was reluctant to go there because it was a resource she didn't want to abuse but what choice did she have? Pulling out her cell phone she carefully, with shaky hands, dialed his number. It ran once before Logan's voice answered.

"Go ahead."

Strangely enough, she felt somewhat comforted just hearing his voice.

"Logan," she managed to say before another spasm racked her body.

"Max," Logan replied, surprised. Then with concern. "What's wrong?"

"My pills," she ground out. "They threw away my pills."

That seemed explanation enough because what he said next was, "Where are you?"

"Metro Medical. East entrance."

"Alright, hold on. I'll be there as quick as I can. Don't go anywhere."

Yeah right, she wanted to snap back. Like she could leave if she wanted to. But she was shaking too much to make a reply.

After ten agonizing minutes, Logan's SUV pulled up next to her. Reaching across from the driver's side he opened the passenger side door and called out, "Max!"

With every ounce of will power she had, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled towards Logan's car and collapsed, torso first onto the passenger seat. Logan hauled the rest of her inside. Seeing how badly she was shaking he held her tightly and poured the contents of the pill bottle into her mouth. Clamping his hand over her mouth he forced her rebellious body to swallow the pills. Logan waited for her violent shakes to become mild twitches before reluctantly letting her go. Max took long deep breaths to relax her trembling body, letting the tryptophan do its work. For some reason she took a great deal of comfort for Logan being here.

"You know," she quipped softly. "You keep coming through like this, I'm going to start thinking you're reliable."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"The guys in my life have let me down one way or another. I'm no sure how I could handle a dependable one."

Logan smiled. "I'll endeavor to disappoint in the future."

"Thanks."

They sat for another moment in silence. Max downed another the remainder of the pills and idly wondered if it was possible to overdose on tryptophan. She didn't want Logan to see her like this: weak and helpless. The practical side of her mind said it was because if "Eyes Only" saw just how flawed and screwed up her genetics were he'd release her from his 'crusade' and no longer obligated to help her track down her family. However another part of her, a part she didn't acknowledge, was genuinely worried about Logan's opinion of her. For some reason that seemed to matter to her.

Logan dug into his coat pocket and pulled out another bottle of tryptophan. "This should hold you over until you can restock your supply."

Max smirked and said weakly, "If you're like this with all your agents, no wonder you have such loyal followers."

"Agents, huh," he said with one of those irritatingly, sexy half-smiles. "Does that mean you're signing up?"

"You wish," Max said sardonically. As she reached for the pills her hand began to shake, causing the bottle to slip through her fingers. "Damn it."

"It's alright," Logan said. "I'll get 'em."

"No, I got it." Max got down on her hands and knees on the floor and began feeling around for the bottle.

_Well_, she thought. _This is awkward_.

The pills, of course, had rolled under Logan's seat and come to rest between his legs. She reached under the seat and snatched up the bottle then pushed herself to her knees. Only to find herself nose to nose with Mr. Eyes Only. She idly wondered what it would be like to kiss him but quickly quashed that idea. Forget it girl. He's just a means to an end. Don't get personally attached. The last thing you need in your life is a controlling boyfriend.

"Thanks for the pills," she said trying to regain her composure.

"Not a problem."

"I should get going."

"Yeah."

"Original Cindy and Kendra will be wondering where I am."

"I understand."

Max climbed out through the driver's side. After closing the door, Logan leaned out the window. "Are you going to going to tell your friends what the pills are for?"

"I'll think about it." In truth she'd decided to tell them everything. The part about being Manticore and being a genetically engineered super soldier she might leave out. That might be a little hard to believe.

Turning to leave she heard Logan say, "Stop by my place in a couple of days. I might have something for you. Quid pro quo."

Max froze. The prospect of finding anything on Zack or any of the others was too agonizing to hope for. Without turning around, fearing her emotions would show, she said, "I'll see what I can do." The disappeared.

FIN

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